(That's shanghai)
Updated: 2006-08-10 10:26

Family Li presents classic Chinese food in a distinctively Chinese setting. Reservations are a must.

The kitchen requires a full day's notice to prepare one of the three set menus comprising 18 carefully calibrated culinary masterpieces. We began with ten cold dishes, including sweet and sour ribs, stir-fried sour cabbage with pheasant and mushroom, Beijing-style smoked pork and a surprisingly fluffy deep-fried bean cake. Main dishes included a choice of perennial banquet favorites: stewed shark's fin or braised abalone, followed by a procession of exquisite scallops, boiled white cabbage with roasted pork with fish maw, and a delicate stir-fried eggplant. The fried lobster with fungus and bamboo shoot was slightly overpowered by the too bold sauce, while the cuttlefish roe soup that followed could have used a bit more audacity. Yet overall, the balance of flavors, textures, and aromas was testament to the wisdom of maintaining traditions.

Opening hours:Daily 5pm-9:30pm
Address: 1/F, 500 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu, inside Huangpu Park
Tel:021-53081919